Life is Taxing, Death is Relaxing
by N. Aepic Fael
Summary: Nevryn is simple. He gets stiffed at jobs. He and his unit have seen so much death from his comrades that it no longer fazes him. But Noah has a mission for him, asked directly from the First Summoner himself, and honestly, he'd rather be back as a simple man just looking for actual resurrection. Not that it particularly matters anymore. A SYOC fic. On indefinite hold.
1. Chapter 1

**This will be a SYOC fic, so if you are interested in showcasing your OC, please send me the info below.**

 **Also, I will not take Mock Units. Global Exclusives and Limited Editions are okay ... I guess.**

 **Name: (ex: Nevryn )**

 **Age: (ex: 20)**

 **Personality (simple descriptions will do, just send me enough info to work with): (ex: Quiet, reserved, rarely interacts with strangers. Suffers from DID)**

 **Appearance: ( ex: Dark brown eyes borderlining black, black spiky hair with traces of purple, a scar on his left cheek due to an attack on his household that left him as an orphan**

 **Background: Formerly the son of two military officials, he was orphaned at a young age when his parents' rivals grew jealous of their status and arranged their assassination, his older sister dying in the process. Living by himself for most of his life turned into an introvert who distrusts almost anyone, even his friends. The only people he truly trusts are his units. He spends most of his life trying to find a way to bring back his dead sister. After the attack, he developed a darker side named Grimm, who is far more sadistic and removes any positive feelings from him until his bloodlust is sated. Grimm comes out whenever he sees anyone he cares about in danger.**

 **Weapon/Powers: (ex: A claymore with a 4 ft. long blade, a memento of his parents. Also can manifest shadows to a certain extent, but rarely uses those powers.)**

 **Crush: (ex: Currently has none, although in the past has been likened to a siscon due to overly affectionate bond between him and his older sister)**

 **Extra (Anything that gives more flavor to the character will do): (ex: Has a penchant for giving romantic advice, though no one knows why.)**

 **Units : (Only one unit each)  
**

 **Taken units: Krantz, Dion, Zenia, Yuura  
**

 **Okay, now for the plot! So, I'm thinking of merging the gameplay plot with this story, so although Lucius and Tilith will not appear in the beginning of this fic, they will still go through a similar plot. However, expect plot changes to fit this.  
**

Nevryn frowned as he was met with yet another apologetic face at the Raid Office.

For weeks now, he had been constantly met with dead end jobs. All the good ones were taken, and the remaining ones rarely gave any compensation for his efforts.

Shrugging the apology of his most recent employer and any excuses off, he walked out with a sigh. He had been contemplating simply going ghost altogether and living in the wilderness.

At least then he wouldn't have to deal with getting skimped.

As he leaned against the walls of the building with another sigh, he was greeted with a familiar sight.

"Nevryn."

"Noah."

The two stared at each other in awkward silence before Noah decided to break the ice.

"So ... still haven't found a paying job?"

"No."

" ... So what are you going to do now?"

"Ghost. I'm done with civilization."

"You up for one last job first?"

Nevryn looked at him with curiosity.

"It's from Lord Owen. Apparently, an entire division went missing recently. Owen wants you to track down whatever did this and end it."

"Where?"

"We don't know. We think that it might be more than one enemy but only time will tell. You'll probably have to wander through Grand Gaia in order to find out.

"Wonderful. Money?"

"Thirty times the usual amount of gems given. Enough Zel and Karma funds that you'll never have to work again. Plus, I think he mentioned finding some ancient scrolls in Bariura."

"Restrictions?"

"He insists on you forming a team. He's already recommended you a fellow summoner, though who I don't know."

"Anything else?"

"He wants you to carry a black box. He's not taking any risks."

The black box. A device used to directly feed a summoner's experience to HQ as soon as possible. It also allowed that, should a summoner die or go missing, it would send a distress call.

"So ... do I just head straight for Morgan?"

"Owen wants them to have a proper burial. Also, he insisted on no shortcuts."

"Of course," sighed Nevryn. "Complication by needless matters."

"Hey, if it acts as an incentive, I heard that those scrolls came from necromancers."

Nervyn looked at Noah with steely eyes before sighing.

"I'm past that now. Yuura thankfully cleared things up for me. Necromancy won't have any use for me.

"I need resurrection."

* * *

There was only one goal in Nevryn's life.

Bringing back his sister.

He had thought to seek out necromancy, but scrapped it once realizing that the undead would have no memories whatsoever nor would it have a will of its own. He thought of seeking Noel's help in creating a Mock Unit to place her soul into, but Noel warned him that in doing so, her own free will would be severely limited, something that may have been a cause in Klaus and Isterio being destroyed by Gildorf.

Cracking his neck, he reached the rendezvous point where Owen had assigned him to meet his new partner.

Kamari Tahlia.

Eventually, he found a girl with long brown hair and amber eyes. She was a bit on the short side, and was wearing a white and grey hoodie.

"Are you Kamari?"

The girl looked at him before giving a friendly smile. "Yeah. I assume you're Nevryn?"

"Yes."

Kamari grinned before slinging an arm around his neck. "Great to meet you!"

Nevryn blinked before slowly removing her arm. "That's ... nice. Although, I'm a bit apprehensive about any physical contact."

Kamari gasped before bowing dramatically. 'I'm so sorry! Please forgive me, I didn't know!"

"It's alright," replied Nevryn hastily, not wanting to cause a scene. "I simply tend to avoid people I don't know."

"But why? Isn't it great to make a lot of friends?"

"Friends are ... interesting, but often, they end up causing you to feel guilt due to not being able to protect them."

"Then just get stronger to protect them!" answered Kamari with a smile.

Nevryn chuckled weakly.

"I wish. The amount of people I considered my friends, those that actually cared for me, number less than the years I've been alive. Most have been killed or injured because I wasn't strong enough to protect them, no matter how much I trained."

"... Oh."

"But I'm sure that you can take care of yourself.," he added, seeing her crestfallen look. "After all, you were recommended by Lord Owen himself. if so, I wouldn't mind considering you a friend as well."

Kamari looked at him with a surprised look before it turned into one of joy.

"Okay!"

* * *

Nevryn's right eye twitched as he struggled to not get frustrated.

It appeared that his new companion seemingly had a flair for interacting with everyone, known and stranger. For an introvert like him, it was absolute hell.

To make things worse, she urged him to go out and try to make new friends.

 _It's alright,_ he thought to himself. _Maybe this is a good idea. I mean, more friends is a good thing, right?_

He spotted a girl with pink hair, wearing a pink sweater with a blue skirt that revealed her black leggings. She was holding a pink stuffed dog in her arms and was eating a vanilla ice cream cone.

 _How does this work? Do I simply go up to her and say hello? Or would it simply make me look like a stalker?_

Despite his inner turmoil, Nevryn's neutral face never changed its expression.

 _To go or not to go? After all, I may end up ruining my own reputation, not that I have one._

Sighing, he made up his mind and went up to the girl.

"Uh ... hello?"

The girl turned around, revealing her dark blue eyes. She looked around 16, and had a blue hair clip on her head.

"My name ... uh, I mean," he stuttered. "Shit, how do I say this?"

As Nevryn struggled to find his words, the girl tilted her head in confusion.

"Um, mister?" she asked softly.

"Er, yeah?"

"Do you need help?"

Despite the innocence in her tone and motives, it struck a deep chord in him

 _Do I need help? Does that mean that she thinks that I'm mentally ill? Or is it hat she thinks that I'm an idiot?_

At this time, Kamari came up. Seeing the two, she guessed what was going on.

"Pardon my partner," she said to the girl, patting his back for comfort. "I asked him to try and make new friends, but he is ... socially awkward."

The girl nodded in understanding before tugging at Nevryn's shirt sleeve.

"Hmm?"

"Would you like some ice cream?" she asked quietly.

Nevryn blinked before nodding slowly.

"That is ... gratifying. Thank you."

The girl walked into a nearby shop before coming out with a raspberry flavored cone and a chocolate one. She gave the chocolate one to Kamari and the raspberry one to Nevryn.

"I forgot to ask what you like," she said meekly. "But I hope you enjoy this!"

He took the treat before smiling. "Thank you. It's perfect." Kamari nodded her agreement, not bothering to use words as she dug into the treat.

As he ate it slowly, his mind filled with memories of his deceased sister.

 _Halcya would have enjoyed this ... after all, she loved the sweet-and-sour varieties the most. Not to mention ... her favorite flower was the red spider lily ..._

"Oi, Shimmer, you there?"

The trio looked at the newcomer. It was a girl with long black hair and purple eyes. She wore a red ribbon on her hair, gold and diamond earrings, a purple vest over a white t-shirt, a purple skirt with black tights underneath, and brown boots.

"Oh? Whose this?" she asked, looking at Nevryn. "This your new boyfriend? He's got that mysterious, dark past vibe to him. Kinda fits you, Miss Waifu."

Nevryn blinked before going pink faintly, but Shimmer rolled her eyes.

"Oh, shut up, Lunar," she replied. "I just met these two, and you're already shipping us? Come on, that's a new low, even for you."

"It's what I do. If not, then I guess I ship Little Miss Ponytails with you. Loli and waifu pairing, too good!"

Kamari facepalmed while Shimmer rubbed her forehead.

 _Here we go._

* * *

After Nevryn and Kamari finished making introductions and explaining their mission, Lunar and Shimmer decided that they wanted to be a part of the group as well.

He sighed, not understanding their motives. However, he was never one to look the gift horse in the mouth.

After all, hadn't he accomplished what he had set out to do?

"He," started Kamari. "I just realized that after all this time, I never saw your units."

The group blinked before seeing the truth in her words. Although they had come to get to know each other, they had yet to see each other's units.

"I'll go first," declared Lunar. With that, she brought out her units: Dion.

"Me next," stated Shimmer. She brought out Zenia.

Nevryn and Kamari looked at each other before he bowed dramatically in a gesture to allow her to go first.

Not wasting time with words, Kamari brought out Krantz.

Seeing that the others were finished, Nevryn summoned Yuura.

"Hey boss," called out Yuura. "Who's the dead meat this time?"

"We don't know," answered Nevryn, and he immediately became aware of the 6+ beings looking at him.

 _'Crap, I'm not used to this attention. I was a wreck with one person, but thirty? Is tehre some god out there trolling with me?'_

"We're going through Mistral first and heading straight ahead until we find whatever killed some group of summoners. Then, we end it." He pointed at a black earpiece that was on his left ear. "I've been given a black box, so that more or less tells us to be careful. In other words, I'll never forgive you if you get knocked out due to lowering your guard around a gods damned Grafl shadow that happened to constantly paralyze you."

Everybody else laughed before realizing that he wasn't joking.

"I'm serious. I've seen comrades who could solo entire demons be swarmed by Burny mobs that they overlooked. It was embarrassing.

"So please," he added. "Don't be an idiot."

The others nodded in agreement. The units conversed among themselves, with Dion and Yuura catching up the most. Curious, Nevryn stepped a little closer before his black box started emitting static.

"Crap. Don't tell me this thing is frizzing out already."

Kamari shot Krantz a dirty look, who rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"My bad. Technology uses goes haywire around me."

 **And done. Anyways, as stated above, this is a SYOC fic for like two chapters and limited room, so OCs are at a first come first serve basis.**

 **Now, the plot will be similar, but not the same. The group will still stop the 4 Fallen Gods, but they will not be influenced by Tilith ... yet. Maybe anotehr goddess, who knows?**

 **Anyways, uh, see you guys next time? I dunno, basically as socially awkward as my own OC.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay, I've gotten enough OCs for the remainder of the story. Also, although each person has one unit each, I will hold summoning polls for whichever unit gets summoned.**

 **Current poll: Chrome, Holia, Avani, Lauda, Avant, or Viktor**

 **Note that if Holia, Lauda, or Viktor is chosen, the next unit is guaranteed 7 star max.**

 **Occasionally, I may also hold rare summon polls (3-5 stars), which you decide the units and vote on whoever to choose.**

 **So, the units right now are: Yuura, Dion, Krantz, Zenia, Libera, Melina, Averus, and Azami. Summoned units will not belong to a lone summoner, but to the group in general. However, a unit may become more attached to a certain summoner (upon request).**

As the group walked to their rendezvous point, they did not realize that they were being watched by a figure.

"Humanity is so interesting," the figure mused. "Especially those of this realm. But how did their gods feel that the summoning was a curse?"

"Really, so you gods have gotten to the point where you stalk humans?"

The figure turned around and was greeted with a pale, vampiric-like being who was dressed in drab colors and had white hair. What was prominent, however, was the sword by his side that was about the same size as he was.

"Oh? A demon? What is your name?"

"My name is of no concern, goddess. And you?"

"Lafiel."

The demon blinked. "That name ... I believe I heard the prodigy scientist speak of it once."

"Indubitably. After all, he did base his 'Mock Unit' research off of the work of my counterpart."

"Were you not destroyed in the clash between you and the dark goddess?"

"My body was torn apart after the forced 6th dimension travel. However, by sheer luck, my consciousness survived and here I am."

The demon shook his head. "Technology is so confusing. That is Beiorg's domain, not mine. Hell, Barion himself would have had more experience than me.

"So what do you plan to do, knowing that they are following the disturbance? Surely, the great demon lord must have some plans?"

"I'll merely follow them for now. After all, I cannot leave Ishgria for long. I must look after Ilia. And you?"

The goddess giggled. "Like you said. I'll just follow them for now. But maybe, once they summon my body, I'll fuse back into it and speak with them. Which reminds me, how can you see me?"

The demon glanced at her. "I am Kalon, demon lord of life. So long as a part of you remains, I can sense you."

* * *

"Yo, Nevryn."

Nevryn looked up from where he was resting and saw Noah. "Yeah?"

"Apparently, Lord Owen found some complications. Mostly involving rib cages exploding from the chest and spikes protruding from skulls of the fallen victims ... anyways, he decided you need a larger force. He also has a senior commander to direct you through the basics of summoning.

Nevryn tilted his head. "But don't we already have our summoned units?"

"I'm not gonna lie, I don't understand this anymore than you do, but if Lord Owen wants something done, you should probably do it."

Nevryn sighed but knew it was true. Lord Owen wasn't called the First Summoner for nothing.

"Also," continued Noah. "I think that they're gonna show us that new summoning method -the one with gems."

Normally, units were summoned by a summoners innate bond with an unit. Occasionally, after a certain amount of tasks, summoners could summon in the form of a ticket that could be redeemed and used at a secluded area of the empire. However, the odds of getting this ticket were slim to none, and it was almost forgotten by most people.

Gems, however, were a different matter. Although they were nowhere near the abundance of the commonplace zel or the mystic karma that proliferated in the region, they were still more common than the tickets. Given out for certain events, whether it be exploring a new area or achieving a milestone, they were invaluable due to Randall's restrictions on expanding your storage bank.

"How much would it cost?" asked Nevryn, his curiosity by the though of a mainstream. Summoning currency.

"I didn't t hear the specifics, but apparently it should be around 3 or 5."

A fairly expensive price, but an understandable one. After all, a summoned unit was priceless.

"Also, the new team will meet with you near the village."

"Eh?"

* * *

Nevryn fought down the urge to rub his forehead. Already were there some complications.

Introductions were simple enough. There was Evelyne and Elimo, James and Melina, Aiko and Averus, Yume and Libera, and finally Damien and Azami.

Evelyne had long blonde hair with dark streaks near the end, glasses over her red eyes, a white long sleeved coat, a back scarf, black shorts, and brown boots. She held a diary in one hand while she held a small but stocky gun by her hip. She appeared sreious, though upon further inspection, one might even call her apathetic.

James had unkempt silver hair with midnight blue eyes, his left face was bandaged as well as his left hand, wore a black trench coat, and has a white scarf as well. He had a greatsword slung across his back while he kept a revolver at his side. He held an impassive look on his face while casting uneasy glances at any people that wore rather revealing clothing.

Aiko had short, wavy ice-white hair with bangs and sported eyes akin to dark-blue agate. She noticeably had a fair skin tone, which worked in tandem with her slender body to give her a frail appearance. She wore a black, white and blue dress with flaring sleeves that covered her hands, as well as black socked leggings and boots. Her hair was loose and contained pale blue ribbon bows on both sides of her head. She held dark blue daggers with cyan veins in her hands.

Yume was a young girl who was rather silent. She had long wavy, chocolate brown hair with midnight black eyes. She also sported side bangs that covered her left eye. She had fair skin, a thin body shape, and was mildly short. Her clothing included an oversized black sweater that allowed her fingers to poke through, black leggings, and black high-top sneakers that had silver buckles and a silver zipper on the side. She had dual revolvers on her sides and was doing her best to act polite, while singing a quiet song under her breath.

Damien had opted to stand as far as possible from the group without being too impolite. His eyes were a sandy brown, had short black dreadlocks that ended at neck level, stood at an imposing height 6 ft., had a complexion that was a mix of dark and sandy brown, had a build that was commonly found in those of the military, and his right arm had a black wolf tribal tattoo. He carried a katana in a red sheathe and had a throwing axe as well as a crossbow by his side. Interestingly, above his left eye, there was an insignia, though Nevryn opted not to comment on it.

Getting the group to work together, however, was much more difficult.

For one, most of the people in question were introverts. The ony exceptions were Lunar and Kamari. Everyone else, however kept more to themselves.

Nevryn sighed before speaking up.

"Alright people, you probably know what's going on, if Lord Owen assigning you to me is anything to work with. we've been given a black box, or what is left of one ..." he trailed off before giving Krantz a knowing look.

"Guilty," added Krantz with a cheeky smile, causing Kamari to smack the back of his head lightly.

"Anyways, we're aiming for Mistral. Apparently, we should get our first clue to as what the hell is going on over there. Everyone in agreement?"

The others muttered assent before a voice spoke up.

"I have some ... questions I would like to ask you later on," stated Evelyne. "Is that alright?"

"Sure."

* * *

Once the general agreement was settled upon, Evelyne took to Nevryn's right side as the group trekked to the edge of town - where Owen stated would be their pathway to Grand Gaia.

"So, I've tried looking up some information on you - being the person who will essentially be our guide - and I'm mildly surprised when I have almost data on you whatsoever. Was it your doing?"

"No. My sister's."

"Ah. And your sister?"

"Dead."

Evelyne blinked before continuing. "That's ... unfortunate. So ... in what way did clearing any mentions of you or your family help whatsoever?"

Nevryn sighed. "Let's just say that ... our family has a lot of jealous subordinates. Halcya did what she must to prevent them from going to me."

 _'So her name is Halcya ...'_ mused Evelyne. _'Where have I heard that name before ... was she the one known as the Higanbana?'_

"So ... do you have any particular biases against any races whatsoever?" Nevryn blinked before looking at her.

"What?"

"I will be honest with you. I am not human, nor are my emotions registered at a level that humans can understand. I would, however, wish to know - would this cause any conflict of interest?"

Nevryn opened his mouth to answer but remembered a piece of advice from Halcya.

 _'Never give a definite answer - Murphy's Law will always bite you in the rear.'_

"As of now, no. I must confess - I cannot distinguish you from a human nor will I attempt to do otherwise. However, I cannot promise what lies in the future."

Evelyne nodded, evidently satisfied with the answer before moving back into the group.

* * *

As they finally reached their rendezvous point, they found Lord Owen who was waiting patiently with them.

"I see you have all prepared." He was met with nods of assent.

"Good, now watch me," stated the First Summoner. He held out his hand, revealing 5 gems. His eyes suddenly glowed as he concentrated on something before the gems disappeared and a raimbow gate appeared before them.

"To summon, one must hold 3 or five gems within their hand, the number of gems invoking the strength of their unit."

Owen touched the gate, and it opened. what walked out was a dazed pink-haired woman, sitting atop of some cubes.

"Huh ... I didn't expect to be back so early. Well, my name is Lafiel, pleasure to meet you."

Owen then turned back to the group. "Alternatively, we may deem you worthy of summoning for free; HOWEVER, this is a privilege that we will grant very rarely, and do not expect the units you receive to be as great as the ones you earn from gems ( **A/N basically honor summoning, although will always be SHS** ). We will permit you one summon now, who will be up to it?"

The group looked among themselves before Shimmer raised her hand. As she stepped forward, Owen stared at her, his unyielding glare causing her to wilt slightly.

"Take my hand in yours, and concentrate on something you cherished. I will feed you the energy you require to summon, so complete your part."

Shimmer nodded, and closed her eyes and concentrated on her stuffed dog. She felt something farm inside of her, but to those watching it appeared as if the two of them were glowing.

When the glow died down, it revealed not two, but three figures. The third figure was a woman clad in armor using a sword as a weapon. She had blue eyes, and a distant look in her eyes.

Owen nodded, impressed. "My, to summon one of the Six Heroes on your first shot, that is impressive. As for the rest of you, remember that once you liberate an area to come back and rest. A fatigued warrior is worse than an inexperienced one."

He then turned to Lafiel. "Follow their journey, please. I would be more relieved if I knew that they had someone else looking after them.

The goddess gave him a warm smile. "Of course. After all, I would hate to let anything happen to such precious humans." Despite her friendly demeanor, the group shuddered at how she referred to them.

"Anyone know how to cook?" asked Owen. Damien raised his hand.

"Well that should be about it. I'll leave the rest to you, Nevryn." With that, the First Summoner left the group.

Krantz eyed the gate warily. "He checked to see if this thing wasn't faulty, right?" Libera seconded that.

Lunar rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on! It can't be that bad! We're just going to Grand Gaia."

Kamari smacked Krantz's head lightly again. "Oh, woman up already! Besides, you've got a lot more people backing you up this time."

Libera was about to bring up another point before she was suddenly hugged from behind by Lafiel.

"!"

"Oh relax! Don't worry, this goddess will do everything she can to help you humans out, okay?"

The rest of the group laughed slightly at the bickering, grateful for a respite from the tension in the air.

And with that, they set into the world of Grand Gaia.

 **Do you want Tilith to appear before or after Maxwell?**

 **Do you want Maxwell to be evil or have a second side?**

 **Who do you want as the next summoned unit (see poll above)?**

 **I apologize if your OC did not get enough spotlight now, but I will give it to them later on.**


End file.
